Prime Directive is out.

[Eric R.]

I don't know how mush you all from ADB look around at other threads but I thought I link to a new thread I just created which might be of interest to you, especialy to Steve

http://216.40.212.6/forum/showthread...3181#post63181

[stevecole]

Good comments, good feedback.

Have we never reprinted Titan and Unicorn? Hmm... must have had a reason for holding it back. Maybe it was going to be part of Remus.

[Capt Daniel Hunter]

I used to really enjoy reading thos CL scenarios. In fact many of them are prime fair as seeds for RPG adventures. I'd highly recommend checking them out as such.

[AslanC]

Hey its Steve!

Hey Steve!

I haven't picked up the new game yet, but I am looking forward to it

Wonder if I got a playtesting credit

[Lord Kjeran]

Chello!

Ghostly got it right. CL#3 or 4...the 2 I don't have!

It was the first game of SFB I ever played in. Blasted scenario took about 20-22 hrs of non-stop (well, a dinner break at one point to watch STNG!) gaming to resolve. My role was simply to run 1 of the Gorn ships in the Kzin force.

With all those fighters and PFs on the board, it was great! I could see it in my mind's eye...it was like a Pearl Harbor scenario.

Ah...nostalgia.



Tony

[Ramage]

Through a misplaced act of charity I was given a copy of this book yesterday.

Man, now I see why I never got into Prime Directive before.

The game is a hyper-militarization of Star Trek. The politics, the science, the exploration, indeed the hope are all placed secondary to war and battle. Probably okay as a wargame, but certainly not my idea of the Star Trek universe in any way, shape or form, and that is even after accepting Niven's kzinti running around in it.

Looks like Ugly Trek to me.

I'll stick to my re-tooled version of CODA.

[calguard66]

Cool.

I've been playing GURPS for years, including the unauthorized GURPSTrek you can find on the web. PD looks great, well done... well thought out.

One minor niggle with the Special Forces/ commando package... it's a bit to general (and hence expensive). SF types tend to focus on a specialty rather than being generalists as represented in your package. Essentially, SF types have to do what they do well... if you're skill base is too broad you can't train enough to do all of it well.

Also, I would love more info on the various planetary defense forces at some point.

Originally posted by WildWeasel


Heh, maybe we can even get our own topic heading here!

Current deckplans, like the Free Trader and variants in GPD. are detailed down to individual room, but really don't have room layouts. I'd imagine that future deckplans will include some more detail for important areas (or elast I hope they will, personally).

Marines will most likely be folded into the Fed book, though more detailed articles in the Module Prime series is always a possibility.

Alex Chobot

[calguard66]

Do smaller scale deckplans. Players can draw the rooms they need for combat encounters on those erasable gridmaps everybody has these days.

Originally posted by stevecole
Deck plans...

Well, the market has an effect on this. The traveler and gurps communities buy these by the ton, but they seem to want them at a scale that allows them to move miniatures or cardboard heroes on them. Which means one table's worth of plans handles a really small ship. SFB ships would be ten times as big, and even if anyone would pay for plans that size, nobody would have room to lay them out. So my thinking (I need some feedback here, dudes) is to do a smaller-scale version of the whole ship and then larger detail version of "key compartments" and "typical compartments". For example, if there are 28 passenger staterooms, I don't really need to sell you 28 identical floorplans, just one of such a room (or a few adjacent rooms).

[calguard66]

Well, they do state that their Kzin aren't THOSE Kzin quite clearly.

Originally posted by Ramage
Probably okay as a wargame, but certainly not my idea of the Star Trek universe in any way, shape or form, and that is even after accepting Niven's kzinti running around in it.

[WildWeasel]

Originally posted by Ramage
Through a misplaced act of charity I was given a copy of this book yesterday.

Man, now I see why I never got into Prime Directive before.

The game is a hyper-militarization of Star Trek. The politics, the science, the exploration, indeed the hope are all placed secondary to war and battle. Probably okay as a wargame, but certainly not my idea of the Star Trek universe in any way, shape or form, and that is even after accepting Niven's kzinti running around in it.

Looks like Ugly Trek to me.

I'll stick to my re-tooled version of CODA.

This is, unfortunately, a result of most of the background for the universe that's been developed over 20+ years being done out of one point of view. We realize that this won't appeal to everyone, but the GPD line will be expanding its focus in the future. So while you may not have liked the book now, take a peek at things down the line and see if the books are more useful for you.

Alex Chobot
GURPS Prime Directive NetRep

[WildWeasel]

Originally posted by calguard66
Do smaller scale deckplans. Players can draw the rooms they need for combat encounters on those erasable gridmaps everybody has these days.

That's part of the idea. It's also because most of the ship is kinda generic or boring. Only the layouts of key compartments (bridge, auxiliary control, engineering, weapons compartments) are that imporant. Evrything else can have a generaic one that can be repeated (staterooms) or else vary from ship to ship and can be spun up on the fly (rec/training areas and the like).

Alex Chobot
GURPS Prime Directive NetRep

[WildWeasel]

Originally posted by calguard66
Cool.

I've been playing GURPS for years, including the unauthorized GURPSTrek you can find on the web. PD looks great, well done... well thought out.

One minor niggle with the Special Forces/ commando package... it's a bit to general (and hence expensive). SF types tend to focus on a specialty rather than being generalists as represented in your package. Essentially, SF types have to do what they do well... if you're skill base is too broad you can't train enough to do all of it well.

Also, I would love more info on the various planetary defense forces at some point.

Glad you liked it

Which package are you refering to, the Marshals or one I'm totally overlooking? Keep in mind this is the generic baseline. If you were running a GPD Speccial Forces agme, I'd certianly recommend going with at least 150 points, if not more (and GURPS Special Ops would be a good reference). We have been talking about covering that angle more, though wether it'll get done in the racial sourcebooks or as an article in Module Prime is yet to be determined.

What kind of PDF info are you looking for? Captain's Log 22 has a two-page article on the development of Federation planetary defense units from Y120-Y180+. Basically what kinds of installations they had, rough numbers of troops, repsonsibility of the planet to provide National Guard units, etc. Or are you looking for other info?

Alex Chobot
GURPS Prime Directive NetRep

[calguard66]

Well, since you asked...

The Special Forces package I'm refering to (I don't have the book at work) was listed with all the other "qualification" type packages... Communications Officer, etc. I remember the first skill in it was Armory (Phaser)-15. This was the package that a PC had to meet in order to be considered graduated from the commando course.

My only problem with it was that it was too general... every single commando wouldn't have the same skill set. They would have a common core of skills, and then specialize in their specific area. For example, IMHO, every command does not need Armory-15. Armory-12 perhaps, with the Weapons specialist having Armory-15. Everybody with First aid-12, wit the combat medic having First Aid-16, Diagnosis-12 and Physician-12... that sort of thing.

What I would suggest is a common core of skills to represent the commando qualification course... climbing-12, swimming-12, first aid-12, running-12, teaching-12, tactics-12, etc.

Then have specialty courses for weapons, intelligence, medical...

A PC could either be a true commando who has completed both the qual course and a specialty... or a "regular" Starfleet, Marine, or even civilian who has their regular skills, and the basic qualification course skills. To use an analogy from the current US military these would be like the soldiers who attend Airborne and Ranger school and get the basic skills but are not assigned to the Ranger Regiment or Airborne units... they have the basic skills and experience, but don't use them all that often, if ever again.

GURPS Special Ops is a good baseline, but so much of PD is wrapped up in treknology that you really can't convert over exactly. Also, in the PD univers there need to be commando-qualified scientists and such, which really aren't covered in GSO.

As for the PDFs, I've got CL22 around somewhere... but many of the people buying your product have no previous experience with SFB. Perhaps the occasional article highlighting a particular planet's PDF... how is it different, what traditions, lineage and honors does it hold. What vessels and installations does it boast (orbital fighter platforms, frigates and destroyers perhaps... I would also use PFs in this role, even the Federation might use PFs for this, giving you a use for your "notional" Federation PFs, but I digress) strength and equippage of it's ground elements, major planetary installations... does a planetary military academy exist or do they send their candidates off world?

Also information about the interaction and cooperation between PDFs and Starfleet, the role and authority of PDF officers outside their home system.

Originally posted by WildWeasel


Glad you liked it

Which package are you refering to, the Marshals or one I'm totally overlooking? Keep in mind this is the generic baseline. If you were running a GPD Speccial Forces agme, I'd certianly recommend going with at least 150 points, if not more (and GURPS Special Ops would be a good reference). We have been talking about covering that angle more, though wether it'll get done in the racial sourcebooks or as an article in Module Prime is yet to be determined.

What kind of PDF info are you looking for? Captain's Log 22 has a two-page article on the development of Federation planetary defense units from Y120-Y180+. Basically what kinds of installations they had, rough numbers of troops, repsonsibility of the planet to provide National Guard units, etc. Or are you looking for other info?

Alex Chobot
GURPS Prime Directive NetRep

[Eric R.]

Calguard if you feel limited by the lack of PDF packages why not take a look at the World War II core book for example there's packages for:

Riflemen 50 pts
Armor Crewman 50 pts
Artilleryman 50 pts
Marine 65 pts
Recon Trooper 60 pts
Partrooper 65 pts
Combat Engineer 60 pts
Sniper 65 pts
Commando 75 pts
Old Guard Officer 75 pts
Bomber crewmen 50 pts
Fighter pilot 60 pts
Sailor 50 pts
Resistance Fighter 50 pts

All of which with a little wriest greese (typing or writing) can be shaped up for Prime Directive until further info comes out fro ADB. Also in In the small cheap Commando Book Hand of Steel has good customization notes (as well as adventure ideas) on commandoes which might help.

[WildWeasel]

Eric R has some good suggestions.

Also, the commano/SPec Ops/Prime Team types of the SFU universe are likely to have both broader and deeper training that those of modern-day forces. Keep in mind that these nations and empires have _far_ more of a population base to draw from, meaning their special forces units are getting the very pinnacle of their people (or at least gunning as close as they can), and advanced technology probably allows for accelerated in-depth training on subjects. The SFU prob doesn't have the cutting edge learnign technques of Transhuman Space and similar recent hard sci-fi, but between stuff like sleep learning and the oppertunity for extremely realistic training fields, it does help.

Alex Chobot
GURPS Prime Directive NetRep